


lonely as i am, together we cry

by Julziebee



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, I mean, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Moving In Together, babe is so cute, but - Freeform, gene oriented!, its baberoe but there's a sprinkling of other ships, there's a winnix wedding and a lil bit of webgott if you squint, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 14:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21100874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julziebee/pseuds/Julziebee
Summary: “Do not be mistaken, Bébé, we are not cross. I am just teasing him!” Renee explained in her lovely French accent. Babe smiled.“Good.” He replied. He threw an arm around Gene’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t want you to be angry at each otha’.” He slurred, smiling at Eugene.Eugene’s heart might as well have stopped right then and there. The soft light of the bar was making Babe’s hair a bit darker than normal, but his cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, and it made the whole scene sickeningly endearing to him.





	lonely as i am, together we cry

It was a hot, humid day in the middle of August, and Babe and Gene had just finished moving the last of their things into their new house. They had finished the general moving process Tuesday, but throughout the entire week they’d been moving furniture, painting walls, and decorating their house. It was now Sunday night. They had just finished dinner-- a simple chicken breast and asparagus dinner, neither were terribly good cooks--and were sitting around the dinner table, plates discarded into the sink. They were both nursing beers, though Babe drank his a little faster than Gene, who only took a sip every half a minute or so. 

Gene huffed, placing his beer on the table and wiping his hands on his pants. Babe looked up at him. 

“It’s quiet,” Gene commented. Babe gave him a strange look.

“Yeah, I guess,” Babe responded. He tapped his fingers on the edge of the table with the hand that wasn’t holding his beer. Gene stood up, got out from the table and pushed his chair in. He grabbed his drink from the table, took a sip, and closed his eyes for a minute, just standing there. 

He was taking it all in. The house, the move, the transition, hell, even the dinner.  
Also Babe. Always Babe. 

Eugene could have never imagined anything like this, anything like Babe. He figured he’d always marry one of the girls who he’d grown up with in the Bayou Chene, or someone he’d have met at law school. When he’d first thought about his future life, he thought he was going to be a lawyer, not a doctor. He also thought was straight. Then, there was this boy he’d known while on vacation. Well, known is a hyperbole. The boy’d only served Gene and his family their food, and taken a picture when his father’d asked. When he’d handed Gene his plate, they’d brushed hands and made eye contact. All the waiter did was smile at him, but Gene’s heart didn’t slow down until he went to bed that night. 

From then on, Eugene struggled with his sexuality. He dated girls, he dated boys, and everything was just okay, just fine, just whatever. Then one night, his girlfriend of three years dumped him, claimed she didn’t get the same “spark” that’d been there in the beginning, you know, all that bullshit. And it really hurt Gene because he loved her, truly. Renee, his best friend since his trip to Belgium when he was four, was at his side immediately. She’d moved to Louisiana for college with Gene, who’d then moved to Philly to work at the hospital there. Renee was a nurse, and so she followed him. They’d sat on Gene’s bed, but Gene was upset because it still reminded him of her. He had been curled into Renee’s side as she raked her hand through his hair.

“Do not be upset, Eugene. It is truly her loss,” She’d said. If anyone other than Renee had said those words to him, he would have socked them in the jaw. But it was Renee, who had a calming voice and soothing hands given to her by God, so Eugene just melted into her.

“I get that, whatever,” He’d replied in hushed tones, careful not to shatter the fragile atmosphere of the room. “But I love her. I do, Renee. She knows things about me no one else knows.” Gene sighed. It was beyond difficult to devote your life to someone for three years, only to lose them, and apparently lose some fucking “spark” as well. Renee tutted.

“Gene, she is just going to make you unhappier if you keep thinking about her. Quite honestly, I do not know why you were with her. You never seemed happy, to me at least.” She paused, and quirked her head to the side, positioning herself so that she could face Eugene openly and honestly.

“What makes you happy, Eugene?” 

He’d thought about it for a couple of minutes.

“You make me happy, Renee, thank you.” He’d whispered quietly. She smiled, but shook her head.

“Non, I’m already here. Que puis-je faire pour aider?” She whispered to him. Gene closed his eyes, tight, to stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks, red from already crying.

“J'ai besoin de quelqu'un. Un ami.” Eugene replied, looking up at her. “I’m going to call Edward.” 

So he did. And immediately, Babe was there. And Renee. But also Babe, always Babe.

“Eugene?” Babe asked, standing up from the table. “What’s on your mind?” Eugene opened his eyes and turned to Babe. He placed his beer down on the table, soon to be forgotten.

“Let’s put on some music.You put your records in the living room, right?” He asked, already walking towards the room. Babe nodded.

“Yeah, but I dunno if we have the same taste in music, Gene.” Babe said, getting up from his seat and following Gene, who just waved a hand over his shoulder.

“I dunno if you’re right about that.” He said, sitting himself down in front of their record player.

Eugene had been reasonably nervous about dating Babe. After his whole fiasco with his ex girlfriend, he hadn’t been exactly eager to jump into a new relationship. He found out that she didn’t leave him because of some made up “spark”, but rather that she moved on before even leaving officially. It actually hadn’t been until a few months after she left Eugene that he realized he even liked Babe. Their whole friend group had been in Philly for a weekend since they had been so busy. Babe and Gene were already in Philly, as we know, but so were Bill Guarnere and Frances Peca. Babe had known Bill since they were in diapers, and Frannie and Bill were high school sweethearts, so naturally, Babe was best friends with both of them. Ralph Spina also lived in Philly. He and Gene were good friends, and he was another reason Eugene had moved to Philly in the first place. 

Because so many of them lived in Philly, the rest of their crew had decided that Philly would be a good place to meet up. They had been at a bar when Eugene realized he was utterly and totally fucked because of Babe. 

They had been sitting and watching Luz flirt with Perconte and Toye, both of them paying no mind to him. Winters and Nixon were sitting in a booth in the corner of the room, quietly enjoying each other’s presence. Liebgott was quiet for once, totally captured by Webster, which was strange since they were usually at each other’s throats. Literally. Muck, Malarkey, and Penkala, were teasing Luz and causing general mischief. Eugene, Renee, Bill, and Babe were sitting at the bar. Bill and Babe were casually talking about something, Fran maybe. Maybe a baseball game they’d watched the previous night. Whatever it was, Gene couldn’t really focus on it. Renee was smiling at him strangely and it was beginning to make Eugene uncomfortable.

“Quoi?” Eugene asked, slow and lazy and still slightly Southern. Renee’s strange smile flipped up into a smirk.

“Rien.” She responded. She looked at Babe, who was in a very animated conversation with Bill, waving his hands around and almost shouting. “C'est juste que ... oh, vous savez.” She teased, twirling the straw in her drink. Eugene’s face darkened slightly.

“Quoi.” He said, with more edge. There was a twinkle of trouble in Renee’s eye.

“Je ne pouvais pas m'empêcher de remarquer que tu te concentrais sur lui.” She responded, looking up at Babe again. His conversation with Bill had stopped abruptly when Bill had to call Fran. Babe was now focusing on Eugene and Renee, and their intense French conversation. Renee made eye contact with him, and smiled sweetly and waved.

“Qu'est-ce que tu racontes?” Eugene asked, more sharply than he had intended. Babe’s face drooped.

“Hey, hey, no need to be accusin’!” Babe half-joked, his Phillidelphian accent slipping into his speech more than normal due to the alcohol. “I don’t understand what you’re sayin’ to each other, but don’t go gettin’ all irritated.” Babe spoke lightly, and Gene just gaped at him. Renee shook her head lightly.

“Do not be mistaken, Bébé, we are not cross. I am just teasing him!” She explained in her lovely French accent. Babe smiled. 

“Good.” He replied. He threw an arm around Gene’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t want you to be angry at each otha’.” He slurred, smiling at Eugene.  
Eugene’s heart might as well have stopped right then and there. The soft light of the bar was making Babe’s hair a bit darker than normal, but his cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, and it made the whole scene sickeningly endearing to him. Babe was smiling, a little tipsy, and Gene wanted nothing more in that moment to kiss him. And it was strange. Gene hadn’t really experienced attraction to anyone after his breakup, and it was stupid because this wouldn’t be endearing to literally anyone else. But, of course, it was also Babe. Always Babe. 

Eugene pulled out the crate that held the records and put it down next to him. Babe came and sat on the other side of the crate and looked at it with disinterest.

“Lets see,” Eugene said, mostly to himself, as he began to flip through the records. He pulled out a Red Hot Chili Peppers vinyl and smiled up at Babe.

“How come you never told me you like the Chili Peppers?” Eugene asked, his soft Southern drawl tickling Babe’s ears. Babe smiled.

“Strangely, I dunno if we’ve really talked about music before.” Babe mused, taking the record from Gene and looking it over. “I got this a while ago. Back in college, maybe.” Babe paused. “You were there!” He exclaims, perking up. Eugene tilted his head to the side.

“I don’t recall.” He said, leaning back on his hands. Babe smiled.

“Yeah, yeah! You were in the record store with me. I was talking about all this music I wanted you to listen to since you grew up in the country and shit and didn’t experience music like I did. Like, there was all this stuff that I’d listened to my whole life you didn’t know. You were there when I bought this record…” He trailed off, looking at the record. 

“Yeah.” He looked back up at Eugene. “You really don’t remember?” Eugene shook his head.

“No, I really don’t.” He frowned. Babe softened.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. There’ll be plenty’a times for us to go and buy records.” He smiled. “Maybe I’ll even let you pick one out!” He joked, winking at Eugene. Eugene raised an eyebrow and smiled.

There had been times when Eugene had felt incredibly lonely before he and Babe had gotten together. He had really opened up in his last relationship and let his walls down, only for it to be in vain. His friends were pairing up and celebrating, and Eugene couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy shoot through his heart every time he was invited to a celebration. He loved his friends though, and it was stupid to ignore their happiness just because he himself wasn’t happy. When Dick and Nix got married, which really was not a surprise to anyone, Eugene couldn’t help but distance himself after the dancing had gotten into full swing.

The wedding was outside, thank God, so it was easy for Eugene to slip out from under the tent in which the wedding was being held and watch from a hill that overlooked the tent. It was only about three o’clock in the afternoon, and the real party wasn’t until that night. Winters was dancing with his mother while Nixon looked on adoringly. Eugene had to look away, much to his displeasure. 

Eugene had lost himself in the green grass, watching ants and rolly-pollys go about their buggy business. At one point, a caterpillar crawled across his brown leather shoes and walked along the ground with no destination in sight, or at least that’s what Eugene hoped. He wished that he could just amble mindlessly and not have a care in the world. That was much easier than caring. 

Because he was so lost in thought, Eugene didn’t even realize when Edward Heffron sat down next to him. Eugene was sitting up, curled into himself and reaching out between his legs to play with the grass. Babe had been lying down, looking up at passing clouds overhead.

“Do you think you’ll ever get married?” Babe asked, absentmindedly playing with the grass, stroking it and pulling it out of the Earth, ripping it up. The music from the tent was soft, and they could hear other wedding guests laughing and generally having a good time. Eugene cocked his head to the side.

“Why do you ask?” He pressed. Babe shrugged.

“Dunno,” He’d replied. “Curious.” 

“Hm.” Eugene responded. He too looked up at the sky, thinking about the shapes of the clouds and how freeing it would feel to sit on a cloud and not need to worry about anything. So, he voiced his wonders.

“What’s it like to sit on a cloud?” He asked, leaning back on his elbow so he could talk to Babe better. By the time of this wedding, Eugene could admit that he was totally gone for Babe. Still, though, he wasn’t mentally or emotionally prepared for a relationship, so he stayed quiet. 

“Why do you ask?” Babe parroted. Eugene’s smile only grew.

“I dunno.” He replied. He turned to face Babe. “I’m curious.” Babe turned his gaze away from the clouds to Eugene and smiled up at him. 

“You’re always curious, Gene,” He uttered, barely above a whisper, and so soft that Eugene had a hard time believing that Babe was the one who’d said it.  
For the amount of time that Eugene had known him, Babe was always feisty and ready to defend any of his friends at the drop of a hat. He was courageous and caring and always ready for a fight. Eugene admired him and his ability to always stick up for people. Babe was loud and ever-present, the complete opposite of Eugene. So, when Babe let his soul slip into his words, when he spoke softly and smiled up at Eugene, when his focus was zeroed in on him, Eugene couldn’t help but feel lucky and loved. Babe was loud and abrasive, and it was rather rare for him to show off his sweet and loving side the way he did with Eugene. Sure, he cared for his friends and he made that known, but the little moments he shared with Eugene were something that they both held close to their hearts. In that moment, Eugene wanted to kiss him. He was starting to want to do that a lot.

“Hey,” Came a voice not too far from them. They both looked up to see George Luz. “Thelma and Lousie, come join the party.” He joked. Babe’s eyebrows were drawn in confusion, but Eugene decided he would join George. 

“Sure thing.” He replied, standing up and dusting off his, now wrinkled, dress pants. He walked down the little hill to George, hands in his pockets, and turned around. 

“You coming, Edward?” He inquired, turning back to look at him. Babe’s face wrinkled at the misuse of his name, but he nodded nonetheless.

“Yeah, ‘course.” He laughed, standing up. George smiled knowingly, though neither of them could see. He turned and walked towards the party, followed by Gene. Also Babe. Always Babe. 

Euene checked to see that the record player was plugged in. Upon seeing that it was, in fact, plugged in, he lifted the plastic covering over the wheel and placed the Chili Peppers record on top. He closed the lid and turned the machine on. Soon, the soft melody of Under The Bridge began to flow through the room. Eugene turned from where he was crouching and smiled at Babe, who was standing above him. Using the ground as leverage, Eugene hoisted himself up to face Babe and took his hand. He leaned in and kissed Babe, sweet and soft. Babe smiled into the kiss, bringing his free hand up to cradle Eugene’s face.

It sounds so stupid, but Gene could never get tired of kissing Babe. He’d done it so many times, way way too many times to count, but it always made him happy. Babe’s lips were sometimes soft and other times annoyingly chapped. It didn’t matter though, because it was Babe. It was, and will always be Babe. Eugene pulled away.

“Do you remember when you asked if I’d ever get married?” He questioned. When Babe shook his head no, Eugene explained further. “At Dick and Nix’s wedding.” Babe’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah. Jeez, that was years ago! I can’t believe you still remember that.” Eugene shrugged and smiled.

“Got a good head on my shoulders.” He paused. “Well. I’ve--uh, certainly thought a good deal about your question.” Babe looked at him quizzically. Adorable, Gene thought. 

“Yeah. Uh, so, I think marriage sounds...nice. Quaint and, uhm, warm.” Babe chuckled, eyes softening. “God, okay. This is not how I wanted to do this.”

“No rush, Gene.” 

“Yeah, yes, I know, but you deserve so much more than I could ever give you.” 

“Bullshit. Carry on.” 

“Okay. Uhm--Well, if I had to spend a really long time, hopefully the rest of my life, with someone, you wouldn’t be too bad.” Eugene finally let out a shaky breath. “So,” he said, dropping to the floor in front of Babe. He produced a little silver band from his pocket and offered it up to Babe. “Would you--um. Would you ever get married?” He asked, so quiet Babe could barely hear him. It didn’t matter though, because Babe actually jumped in the air, and upon his landing tackled Eugene.

“Yes, of course, always, please!” He peppered little kisses all over his fiance’s face. Eugene laughed, hugging Babe tightly.  
Babe sat up, absolutely beaming at Eugene, who smiled the softest of all smiles, ever. 

“It was always you, Babe,” He uttered, leaning up to kiss Babe’s forehead (with great difficulty). “Always you.”

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed! this was something that came out of the little glimpses of stories i have in my notes lol.


End file.
